Pot or vessel for use in cooking boned hams or similar meats.



'No. 781,475. j PATENTED JAN. 31, 1905.

-. W. A.- VAN BERKEL.

POT 0R VESSEL FOR USE IN COOKING BONED HA MS OR SIMILAR MEATS;

' APPLIOATIONIILED APR. 26, 1904.

UNTTED STATES Patented January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

' WILHELMUS ADRIANUS VAN BERKEL, OF ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS.

POT ORVESSEL FOR USE IN COOKING BONED HAMS OR SIMILAR'MEATS.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,47 5, dated January 31, 1905.

Application filed April 26, 1904. Serial No. 205,046.

' and more particularly ham, it is of great importance that the wat'er in which it is boiled shall not penetrate the interior of the meat; otherwise the fine flavor of the meat is spoiled. Hitherto it has been customary to firmly wrap the piece of meat with-string, it being necessary to take particular care that the place where the bone was was thoroughly compressed. The work of binding with string is not only heavy, but also consumes a deal of time, as the shape of the piece of meat is usuallynot suitable for such treatment and the cord or string very easily slips off the sloping surfaces of the same and as a consequence leaves marks in the piece of meat.

Now this invention has for its object to 'provide an apparatus for compressing the piece of meatduring the boiling without previously wrapping the ham with string and which therefore prevents the cooking-water from penetrating the interior of the meat and also has the advantage that the ham does not come in contact with the water and the meat-juices and fat which otherwise are lost are collected and may be utilized. For this object a pot or vessel of suitable form is provided. In this;

' pot or vessel a pressure-plate fits exactly,

to say, ham from which the bone has been previously removed.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 2, a cross-section on line a m, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a top plan view,- and Fig. 4 a sectional view showing the piece of ham in a compressed condition. Fig. 5 is a bridge-fastener for the cover or lid.

The pot or vessel afollows the natural form of a ham n, Fig. 1. It is everywhere nicely rounded, Figs. 1 and 2, and has a'flat side and a curved side, Fig. 3. Aflangeb is provided around the top edge, on which a cover 0 may be fixed by means of screws d. Instead of screws d clamp-bolts or other similar fastenings adapted to be easily loosened may be employed. The pressure-plate is made very strong and concave, with stiffening-ribs, and has two projections f,'on which projections screws 9 press, and in order that the pressure plate shall not tip up lateral guide-' strips-0 may be provided. The cover or lid 0 is concave. Pressure-screws g are screwed :in-to this lid and secured with lock-nuts WVasher-rings h are laid under these nuts to produce a better joint. Asmall safety-valve m is provided on the lid or cover, which opens as soon as the pressure in the interior of the pan or pot has reached a certain limit, but which admits no boiling-water into the pot. In order that the pot or pan may be placed straight or upright in the boiler, small feet Z are attached to it.

If the pot a is to remain open during the boiling of the ham, the lid or cover 0 is not used; but two bridge-pieces or yokes 7a are pushed over the flange 5, which is then made somewhat narrow, Fig. I, and in these bridge pieces the pressure-screws g, Fig. 4, are screwed. vAs to the circumstances under which ,hams are boiled while the lid of the pot is rethe fat and other substances in the pot and are quite satisfied if the slit of the bone. is closed by the pressure-plate, and by cooking in thismanner the fat and all these substances are lost in the boiling-water.

In order to dispense with the troublesome and time-consum ng operation of turning the moved some cooks do not care to preserve all screws cl when closing the pot or pan,the bridge-fastener (shown in Fig. 5) is employed. The end r of this bridge-fastenerengages under the flange b of the pot. In the center it presses on the lid 0, and its other end is provided with notches s. In these notches a hooked connecting-link t is placed, the lower end of which is provided with an eccentric clamp-disk o. The disk bears against the under part of the flange of the pot or pan and is provided with a handle w and is suspended, by means of a pin 14, in the part If. It is evident that by depressing thehandle w the lid or cover is pressed firmly on the pan.

The mode of using the pot or pan is as follows: The ham a is boned and in this condition placed in the pot a, Fig. 1, with the lean part toward the fiat side of the pot, Figs. 2 and 3. The pressure-plate c is-then laid on the ham, and if the latter is to be boiled with the pot closed the lid or cover 0 is hermetically secured on the flange b. The screws 9 are then screwed down and, in conjunction with the pressure-piece 6, strongly compress the ham. This pressure-piece adapts itself to the form of the ham, Fig. 4, and thus the latter is fully inclosed and compressed and entirely fills up the pot beneath the pressureplate. In this condition the pot is placed in the boiler and boiled there as long as necessary. When withdrawn, the pot is reversedthat is to say, with the'cover downwardand allowed to cool in this position, the fat and juices of the meat collecting in the hollow of the lid 0 and setting there. The ham 7% retains perfectly the form of the pot when withdrawn and forms a solid boned piece of meat having one flat side. In'slicing the ham by hand or with a slicing-machine it is laid on this flat side. The place where the bone was can no longer be seen in a cross-section of the piece. The pots are made in various sizes, right and left, corresponding to the form of hams. In cooking with an open pot the two bridge-pieces it may be employed, Fig. 4C.

The advantages of this apparatus are as follows: First, the time-consuming and diflicult binding of the piece of meat are avoided; second, the meat retains its fine flavor; third, the grease and meat-juices which are separated in a liquid condition from the meat in boiling are not lost in the boiling-water, but retained, and may be made use of.

I declare that what I claim is 1. A vessel for cooking boned hams and similar meats eomprisinga lower portion contoured to the shape of the meat to be cooked, a lid mounted upon said lower portion and suitably connected thereto, a pressure-plate operating within said lower portion, and means extending through said lid and engaging said pressure-plate for forcing it onto the meat for compressing, retaining and excluding water from the meat during treatment.

2. A vessel for cooking boned hams and 5 similar meats comprising a lower portion contoured to the shape of the meat to be cooked, a lid mounted upon said lower portion and suitably connected thereto, a pressure-phuze operating within said lower portion, means extending through said lid and engaging said pressure-plate for forcing itonto the meat for compressing, retaining and excluding water from the meat during treatment, and a safetyvalve carried by the lid.

3. A vessel for cooking boned hams and similar meats comprising a lower portion eontoured to the shape of the meat to be cooked, a lid mounted upon said lower portion and suitably connected thereto, a concaved pressure-plate operating within said lower portion, and means extending through said lid and oilgaging said concaved pressure-plate for forcing it onto the meat for com pressing, retaining and excluding water from the meat during treatment.

4:. A vessel for cooking boned hams and similar meats coniprising a lower portion eontoured to the shape of themeat to be cooked, a lid mounted upon said lower portion and suitably connected thereto, a concaved pressure-plate operating within said lower portion, means extending through said lid and engaging said concaved pressure-plate for forcing it onto the meat for compressing, retaining and excluding water from the meat during treatment, and a safety valve carried by the lid.

5. A vessel for cooking boned hams and similar meats having its lower portion formed with flattened sides, substantially SGglllOl'lilshaped ends and its bottom upon a compound curve, a pressure-plate operating within said lower portion, a lid, means for securing the lid in position, and means extending through the lid and engaging with the pressure-plate for adjusting it.

6. An apparatus for cooking boned hams, comprising avessel having a curved and a flat side, said sides merging into one another at the ends and bottom, said vessel having an interior convex surface to one side of the transverse center line thereof, a pressure-plate adapted to fit within said vessel, and means for clamping said pressure-plate within said vessel.

7. An apparatus for cooking boned hams,

\ comprising a vessel having a curved and a Hat side, curved ends and a curved bottom, said sides, ends and bottom merging into one another, said vessel further having an interior convex surface near the lower part of one end thereof, a pressure-plate adapted to fit within said vessel, and means adapted to clamp said pressure-plate within the vessel.

8. An apparatus for cooking boned hams, comprising a vessel having a curved and a llat side, said sides merging into one another at TTO the ends and bottom, said vessel having an interior convex surface to one side-of the trans" tially flat side, said sides merging into each other at the endsand bottom in a curved manner, said vessel having an interlor convex surface to one side of the transverse center line thereof, a cover for said vessel havinga non-' 7 return valve to permit the exit of steam from the vessel, means for detachably securing said cover to the vessel, a pressure-plate adapted to fit within the vessel, and means adapted when operated to move said pressure-plate to- Ward the bottom of the. vessel.

10. An apparatus-for cooking boned hams,

comprising a'vessel having a curved and a-sub-- stantiallyiflat side, said sides merging into one another at the ends and bottom, said ves sel having an interior convex surface to one side-of the transverse center line thereof, a concave pressure-plate adapted to -fit within the receptacle" and provided on its-edge with downwardly extending strips, said strips adapted to extend between the Wall of the vessel and the article-to be cooked to prevent tip ping of said pressure-plate, and means-adapted to compress the pressure-plate toward the bottom of the vessel. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my; hand in presence of two subscribing 'wit-' j .WILHELMUS ADRIANUS VAN BERKEL. Witnesses:

,WILLEM JAooBUs DE GRAAF,

AIRE H. VooRwINDEN. 

